Student officials pleased with 'Dynamite' turnout

Despite confusion over the venue change, more than 160 people attended the "Napoleon Dynamite" event last night.

Even though the event switched from Centennial Hall to the Student Union Memorial Center South Ballroom because of cost issues, student officials said they were pleased with the turnout.

"We were hoping for (a larger turnout)," said Carrie Pixler, director of the Associated Students of the University of Arizona Speakers Board. "We kind of had an inkling."

Students like Nick Walter, a general biology sophomore, came dressed as a character from the movie, hoping to win the Napoleon look-alike contest.

"All my friends thought I could win," he said, sporting glasses and a "Vote for Pedro" T-shirt.

About 30 minutes after the show started, Pixler estimated revenues to be more than $1,000, though $13,500 was needed to bring actors Efren Ramirez and Aaron Ruell, who portrayed the characters Pedro and Kip, respectively, to campus.

The money came out of the Speakers Board budget.

- Nick Smith

Financial Services Office reorganizes

The UA plans to be more responsible in its financial management with the creation of a new position and reorganization within the operating funds team of the Financial Services Office, officials said.

Floyd Roman, assistant comptroller for financial management, is now in charge of the new Financial Services Office compliance program.

"In a department if you have only one person ordering, paying for and receiving supplies, that is not a good system," Roman said. "There needs to be a separation of duties."

Roman said he will be making sure that internal financial controls are in place and working by sending questionnaires to the UA departments to see which may be at risk for poor internal financial controls.

Other changes within financial management include the combined direction of the operating and nonoperating funds teams by Mike Treiber, an assistant comptroller for financial management, and the promotion of Cindy Robison to accounting manager for operating funds.

The changes were put in place because Treiber was formerly responsible for both the nonoperating funds team and the creation of the compliance program.

"We were wanting someone to focus on the compliance program and it made sense to make the changes," Treiber said.

The compliance program was created when the Arizona Board of Regents Audit Committee made the position a requirement earlier this year in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, according to Rick Gfeller, assistant executive director for Audit Services for the Arizona Board of Regents.

The act was passed by Congress because of the accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom and other companies, and now requires all public companies to assess the effectiveness of their internal financial auditing controls.

Many universities and nonprofit organizations decided to change their accounting practices to follow the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to improve their accounting practices, Gfeller said.

- Laura Ory